The Taliban has denied that one of their top leaders has been killed in a shootout with a rival, following rumors about internal divisions in the movement almost a month after his lightning victory over a government-backed government in Kabul.
Sulail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, former Chief of the Taliban political office who was named the Deputy Prime Minister last week, issued a voice message that refused his claim to be killed or injured in a clash.
“He said it was located and was totally unfounded,” Shaheen said in a message on Twitter.
The Taliban also released a video record supposedly showed Baradar at a meeting in the southern city of Kandahar.
Reuters cannot verify the recording immediately.
Disclaimers follow rumors that Baradar supporters have clashed with Sirajuddin Haqqani, Head of the Haqqani network based near the border with Pakistan and blamed for the worst suicide war attacks.
Rumors followed speculation on the possibility of competition between military commanders such as Haqqani and leaders from political offices in Doha like Baradar, who led diplomatic efforts to achieve completion with the United States.
The Taliban has repeatedly denied speculation on the internal division.
Baradar, was seen as the possibility of the Chief of the Taliban government, has not been seen in public for some time and not part of the minister’s delegation who met with Foreign Minister Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Kabul on Sunday.
The highest leader of the movement, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, also has not been seen in public since the Taliban confiscated Kabul on August 15, even though he issued a public statement when the new government was formed last week.
Speculation of the Taliban leaders has been fed by the situation about the death of the founder of the movement, Mullah Omar, which was only published in 2015 two years after that happened, setting bitter accusations between leadership.